“Elevation”

Permanent marker hand drawn on enamel paint

Status: Complete

Type: Mural artwork for Honeymoon Inn Resort

Project location: Manali, Himachal Pradesh

Completion Year:  2017

Size :   380 square feet

Mural Artwork: Rita John

“Elevation” is a drawing exercise that attempts through different line-weights to create spatial depth. The orthographic projections (or “elevations”) of various recognizable objects of a room have been hand drawn to scale to create an illusion of a cosy, nostalgic space on the blank canvas of a double-height hotel lounge. A series of books, shelves, hanging chandeliers, photo frames and other household objects have been drawn to create realism in an otherwise abstract orthographic drawing style. The artwork on the walls not only brings life and humour to the space with the drawn objects, but also physically engages with users of the hotel lounge with looking mirrors, a running clock and ledges to place actual objects. This mix of real and drawn elevations showcases the potential of drawings to imitate reality and vice versa.

The project stemmed from the practice of drawing architectural elevations combined with real life sketching of scenes in ink. The idea of giving each object an outline has been exaggerated in this mural and questions how the viewer’s mind simplifies complex spaces into simple lines.

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